Robin and Steve almost had a very different relationship on Stranger Things, and we’re so glad they didn’t
The friendship between Robin and Steve is, without a doubt, one of the highlights of Stranger Things Season 3. With their witty banter, Russian code-cracking, and matching sailor suits, the Scoops Ahoy coworkers had many fans shipping them by the end of the season. (And if you haven’t watched the new season yet, warning: spoilers ahead.) Steve also seems on board with a potential relationship, but when he confesses his feelings at the end of the season, Robin admits that she’s actually a lesbian. It’s a refreshing twist on the guy-meets-girl trope, but apparently, it almost didn’t happen.
In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Maya Hawke, who plays Robin, said that Steve and Robin were originally meant to become a couple, but the plan changed as the cast began filming.
"Throughout filming, we started to feel like she and [Steve] shouldn’t get together, and that she’s gay. Even when I go back and watch earlier episodes, it just seems like the most obvious decision ever," she said.
We have to agree. It’s hard to imagine Steve and Robin as anything other than the butt-kicking, ice cream-slinging friends that they are. Hawke’s Stranger Things character was a huge step forward in LGBTQ representation, and we’re glad that her storyline went the way it did.
This isn’t the first time Hawke has talked about the decision to make Robin gay. In July, she told Variety that her storyline wasn’t nailed down until a few episodes into the season. As to whose idea it was, she said it was “kind of a collaborative conversation” between herself and the Duffer brothers. She also said that she hoped the scene would foster tolerance in viewers.
"Sometimes we can have empathy for people on screen that we wouldn’t normally have empathy for in real life," Hawke said. "If I can hope for anything it’s that maybe some people fell in love with Robin and that helped them fall in love with girls who love girls and boys who love boys."
We think everyone made the right decision, and we hope we’ll get to see more of Robin and Steve in the future. Who knows? Maybe they can even double date.
